The discipline of Meditation is to be found in one form or other in all the major World Religions. In all it is a way of attention, a way of focusing the mind in a one-pointed way. It is a way of clearing the mind of all surface thoughts, so that only the sacred phrase or image or sound is upper most in our consciousness and will lead us beyond the material world into the Divine Reality, whatever name we give to that.

As you enter the great 13th century Cathedral of Chartres through the west door you find yourself walking onto and into the Pilgrim's Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is drawn in black stone on the floor of the nave of the Cathedral under the Rose Window, whose diameter it reflects exactly. During the Middle Ages poor pilgrims, who were unable to go to Jerusalem, would make a symbolic `pilgrimage' on their knees around all the twists and turns of the labyrinth in their own cathedral.

The shape of the Christian Meditation meeting follows the following format:

- A short introductory tape of John Main or Laurence Freeman or a passage from their writings. - If this is difficult, as they are of course in English, a short talk needs to be prepared based on your own reading/listening to John Main and Laurence Freeman, lasting 5 to 15 minutes at the most - A period of 20 -30 minutes of meditation - An opportunity to ask questions or air problems with the practice

The foundations of the World Community for Christian Meditation are the thousands of small groups meeting in homes, parishes, schools, prisons, hospitals in at least 100 countries all round the world. Meeting in a group is an important part of the meditation journey. Firstly, the group is a place of teaching, where the essentials of Christian Meditation as passed on by John Main and Laurence Freeman are taught and its ancient authentic Christian nature is reinforced.

The hallmark of Christian Meditation is its simplicity. The discipline is simple; there are no complicated techniques to learn; it does not require extensive background information or any expensive equipment or special outfits; it can be done anywhere by anyone.Let me remind you of the discipline:

It sounds quite incredible, almost unbelievable, to us when we first begin to learn to meditate that the discipline of saying this little word, our mantra, can be a profound spiritual path that gradually transforms our life in a profound way. But it does. Think of the mustard seed that Jesus refers to in the Gospel that grows into a huge tree and the birds of the air come to rest in its branches. The mantra is just the same.

What to do about all those thoughts crowding in when you are longing for interior silence? An image comes to mind: I remember hearing years ago about an advertisement for meditation. On a poster was a picture of an Indian Guru standing, in typical attire and appearance, on his surfboard, perfectly balanced, riding the waves.

When we begin to meditate, we soon become aware of the fact that the discipline is simple but not easy.

When we have countered our outer restlessness, it will now try to find a different outlet: if we can’t move physically, we let our thoughts do the walking. We wander about in daydreams, down memory lane, planning, hoping, worrying; internally we are still filled with perpetual noise and movement, the mad whirl of disconnected thoughts.